Arrangements for intraoral scanning

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods for intraoral scanning include determining, by an appointment management system, a condition that a completed in-home dental impression kit has not been received from a user, generating and communicating a message to the user based on the condition where the message prompts the user to schedule an appointment at an intraoral scanning site, receiving a request to schedule an appointment at the intraoral scanning site where the intraoral scanning site has an intraoral scanner configured to conduct an intraoral scan of a mouth of the user, scheduling the appointment based on the request, and conducting the intraoral scan using the intraoral scanner at the intraoral scanning site where the intraoral scan generates three-dimensional data of the mouth of the user.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/130,762, filed Sep. 13, 2018, which claims the benefit of andpriority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/660,141, filedApr. 19, 2018. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/130,762 is also acontinuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/725,430,filed Oct. 5, 2017, which claims the benefit of and priority to U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 62/522,847, filed Jun. 21, 2017. Allof the aforementioned applications are incorporated herein by referencein their entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to the field of intraoralscanning, and more specifically, to intraoral scanning for generating athree-dimensional image of a user's teeth that is used in treatingmisalignment of the user's teeth.

BACKGROUND

Dental impressions and associated physical or digital reproductions of apatient's teeth can be used by dentists or orthodontists to diagnose ortreat an oral condition, such as the misalignment of the patient'steeth. For example, to take a dental impression, a dental tray having aviscous, thixotropic impression material is fit over the dental archesof the patient, and then the impression material sets to a solid overtime, thereby providing an imprint of the patient's dental arches oncethe dental trays are removed from the patient's mouth. The impressionsprovide a detailed and stable negative of the patient's teeth andtissues in their mouth. The negative impressions may then be utilized toproduce a physical or digital reproduction of the patient's teeth andsurrounding tissues.

Traditionally, dental impressions are made in a dental office andrequire significant time. Dental offices typically deliver the dentalimpressions to an outside vendor that utilizes the impressions to form apositive model of the teeth and surrounding tissue. If the dentalimpressions includes any errors (e.g., incomplete impression of theteeth and tissues), the patient may be required to return to the dentaloffice to have a second impression made. Furthermore, if the dentalimpressions are used by the dental professional in the course ofadministering a continuing treatment plan, the patient is typicallyrequired to undergo many check-up appointments at the dental office sothat the dental professional can track the patient's treatment andmodify the treatment plan as necessary. Each of these examples resultsin significant inconvenience to the patient and increases the cost ofthe treatment plan to both the dental professional and the patient.

SUMMARY

According to one aspect of the disclosure, a method of producingaligners for repositioning one or more teeth of a user is disclosed. Themethod includes receiving, by an appointment management system, arequest to schedule an appointment at an intraoral scanning site havingan intraoral scanner configured to conduct an intraoral scan of a mouthof a user. The method includes scheduling, by the appointment managementsystem, the appointment in accordance with the request. The methodincludes generating and communicating, by the appointment managementsystem, a message to the user. The message includes a confirmationconfirming the scheduled appointment. The method includes conducting,using the intraoral scanner, the intraoral scan at the intraoralscanning site during the scheduled appointment. The intraoral scangenerates three-dimensional data of the mouth of the user. The methodincludes generating, by a treatment plan computing system at a treatmentplan site, a treatment plan for the user based on the three-dimensionaldata of the mouth of the user. The method includes receiving an approvalof the treatment plan by a dental or orthodontic professional. Theapproval is received without the dental or orthodontic professionalphysically seeing the user in person. The method includes producing, ata fabrication site, a plurality of aligners based on the treatment plan.The plurality of aligners are specific to the user and are configured toreposition one or more teeth of the user in accordance with thetreatment plan. The method includes sending the plurality of aligners tothe user.

According to another aspect of the disclosure, a method of administeringaligners for repositioning one or more teeth of a user is disclosed. Themethod includes requesting, via a web portal or mobile application, anappointment at an intraoral scanning site having an intraoral scannerconfigured to conduct an intraoral scan of a mouth of a user. The methodincludes receiving, from an appointment management system, aconfirmation message confirming the scheduled appointment. The methodincludes receiving, via the intraoral scanner, the intraoral scan at theintraoral scanning site during the scheduled appointment. The intraoralscanner generates three-dimensional dimensional data of the mouth of theuser. The method includes receiving a plurality of aligners which aregenerated in accordance with a treatment plan. The treatment plan isgenerated at a computing system by a dental or orthodontic professionalwithout physically seeing the user. The treatment plan is generatedbased on the three-dimensional data of the mouth of the user. Theplurality of aligners are specific to the user and configured toreposition one or more teeth of the user in accordance with thetreatment plan. The method includes administering the plurality ofaligners in a predetermined sequence to reposition the one or more teethof the user in accordance with the treatment plan.

According to another aspect of the disclosure, a system for generatingaligners for modifying an alignment of a user's teeth is disclosed. Thesystem includes an appointment management system, an intraoral scanningsite, and a fabrication site. The appointment management system isconfigured to receive a receive a request to schedule an appointment forreceiving an intraoral scan of a mouth of a user. The appointmentmanagement system is further configured to schedule the appointment. Theappointment management system is further configured to generate andcommunicate a message to a user device associated with the user. Themessage includes a confirmation confirming the scheduled appointment.The intraoral scanning site includes an intraoral scanner configured togenerate three-dimensional data from an intraoral scan of the mouth ofthe user. The intraoral scanning site includes one or more computingsystems configured to communicate the three-dimensional data from theintraoral scan for generation of a treatment plan. The fabrication siteincludes one or more computing systems configured to receive datacorresponding to the treatment plan. The fabrication site includesthermoforming equipment configured to produce a plurality of alignersbased on the treatment plan data. The plurality of aligners are specificto the user and are configured to reposition one or more teeth of theuser in accordance with the treatment plan. The one or more aligners aresent to the user for repositioning the one or more teeth of the user.

Various other embodiments and aspects of the disclosure will becomeapparent based on the drawings and detailed description of the followingdisclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows an appointment management system according to an exemplaryembodiment.

FIG. 2 shows a reservations screen associated with the appointmentmanagement system of FIG. 1 according to an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 3 shows a booking screen associated with the appointment managementsystem of FIG. 1 according to an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 4 shows a reservation hold screen associated with the appointmentmanagement system of FIG. 1 according to an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 5A and FIG. 5B show example confirmation windows associated withthe appointment management system of FIG. 1 according to an exemplaryembodiment.

FIG. 6 shows a check-in screen displayed on a user device for enabling auser to check into an appointment according to an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 7 shows a health and consent information screen displayed on a userdevice for enabling the user to provide health and consent informationaccording to an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a user portal screen displayed to the user prior to the user'sappointment according to an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 9 is an example of a user portal screen displayed to the userfollowing the user's appointment according to an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 10 is an example of a user portal screen displaying a progresstracker according to an exemplary embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure is directed to systems and methods for conductingan intraoral scan of a user at a location. A user can request anappointment at an intraoral scanning site. For example, the user canrequest an appointment in advance of the requested appointment time(e.g., online, via a mobile application, via a telephone call) or theuser can request an appointment at the time of requested appointment(e.g., a “walk in”). In requesting the appointment at the intraoralscanning site, the user can provide various information for reservingthe appointment, such as a reason for making the appointment (e.g.,misaligned teeth) or a dental condition of the patient (e.g., havingcrowns, an impacted tooth). The user can make the request online (e.g.,via an interne scheduling website associated with the intraoral scanningsite). When the appointment timeslot is held for the user, one or morescheduling alerts can be communicated to the user (e.g., confirmationnotification, reminder notification, appointment modification query).Upon arriving at the appointment, the user can provide health historyand consent information. The user can receive the intraoral scan, andupon confirmation from the user to purchase the aligners, one or moresets of aligners configured to modify the alignment of the user's teethcan be sent to the user.

The systems and methods described herein may have many benefitsincluding, but not limited to, increasing user excitement about thealignment process, increasing the likelihood of a user showing up fortheir appointment, and increasing the likelihood of a user purchasingaligners at the intraoral scanning site, as will be discussed in greaterdetail below.

Referring to FIG. 1, an appointment management system 100 is shown. Theappointment management system 100 includes a computing system 102, amobile device 116 of a user 104, a personal computer 118 of the user104, and a plurality of intraoral scanning sites 106.

The computing system 102 includes a processor 108 and memory 110.Processor 108 may be a general purpose or specific purpose processor, anapplication specific integrated circuit (ASIC), one or more fieldprogrammable gate arrays (FPGAs), a group of processing components, orother suitable processing components. Processor 108 may be configured toexecute computer code or instructions stored in memory 110 or receivedfrom other computer readable media (e.g., CDROM, network storage, aremote server, etc.) to perform one or more of the processes describedherein. Memory 110 may include one or more data storage devices (e.g.,memory units, memory devices, computer-readable storage media, etc.)configured to store data, computer code, executable instructions, orother forms of computer-readable information. Memory 110 may includerandom access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), hard drive storage,temporary storage, non-volatile memory, flash memory, optical memory, orany other suitable memory for storing software objects and/or computerinstructions. Memory 110 may include database components, object codecomponents, script components, or any other type of informationstructure for supporting the various activities and informationstructures described in the present disclosure. Memory 110 may becommunicably connected to processor 108 via processing circuit 202 andmay include computer code for executing (e.g., by processor 108, etc.)one or more of the processes described herein.

The memory 110 is described below as including various circuits 112.While the exemplary embodiment shown in the figures shows each of thecircuits 112 as being separate from one another, it should be understoodthat, in various other embodiments, the memory 110 may include more,less, or altogether different circuits 112. For example, the structuresand functions of one circuit 112 may be performed by another circuit112, or the activities of two circuits 112 may be combined such thatthey are performed by only a signal circuit 112. Additionally, it shouldbe understood that any of the functionalities described as beingperformed by a circuit 112 that is a part of the controller 112 may alsobe performed by a separate hardware component having its own processors,network interfaces, etc.

As shown in FIG. 1, the appointment management system 100 includes oneor more communications device(s) 114. The communications device(s) 114can be or include components configured to transmit and/or receive datafrom one or more remote sources. For instance, each of the intraoralscanning site(s) 106 may include a respective communications device 114,the user 104 may have one or more communications device(s) 114 embodiedon the user's 104 mobile device 116, personal computer 118, etc., and/orthe computing system 102 may include a communications device 114. Eachof the respective communications devices 114 may permit or otherwiseenable data to be exchanged between the user 104, the intraoral scanningsite(s) 106, and/or the computing system 102. The communications device114 may communicate via a network 120. The network 120 may be a LocalArea Network (LAN), a Wide Area Network (WAN), a Wireless Local AreaNetwork (WLAN), an Internet Area Network (IAN) or cloud-based network,etc. In some implementations, the communications device(s) 114 mayaccess the network 120 to exchange data with various othercommunications device(s) 114 via cellular access, a modem, broadband,Wi-Fi, satellite access, etc.

Generating an Appointment

In some implementations, the user 104 may access a website (or othernetwork-based portal) associated with the appointment management system100. The user 104 may book an appointment at an intraoral scanning site106 on the website. The user 104 may be directed to the website through,for instance, an advertisement on the user's 104 social media account.Additionally or alternatively, the user 104 may search for (e.g., on theinternet, etc.) the website associated with the appointment managementsystem 100.

Additionally or alternatively, the user 104 may receive a messagedirecting them to the website to book an appointment at an intraoralscanning site 106. The processor 108 may control the communicationsdevice 114 to send the message to the user 104 in response to variousconditions. For instance, the processor 108 may determine that the user104 previously signed up to receive an in-home dental impression kit andnever returned the completed kit. The processor 108 may identify a timebetween an order date (or shipment date) of the dental impression kitand the current date. The processor 108 may compare the identified timeto a threshold time indicative of the user 104 likely not returningimpressions from the dental impression kit. Where the identified timeexceeds the threshold time, the processor 108 may automatically generateand send the message to the user 104. As another example, the processor108 may determine that the impressions received from the user 104 were,for instance, incomplete. A technician may review the impressions (or ascan thereof) to determine their suitability for manufacturing dentalaligners. When the impressions are determined to be incomplete, thetechnician may flag the impressions as incomplete. When the impressionsare flagged, the processor 108 may automatically generate and send themessage to the user 104 prompting the user to schedule an intraoralscan.

The website may include a home page, an instructional page detailing howthe customer aligner process works, a results page, a locations page,and/or additional or alternative pages. Each of these pages may presentdifferent information to the user 104. For instance, the home page maypresent information pertaining to an overall user experience. Theinstructional page may present a step-by-step overview starting from anappointment to receiving customized aligners. Additionally, theinstructional page may present a video to the user 104. The video mayinclude graphics and/or text that show how the customized alignersreposition the user's 104 teeth, among other information. The video mayalso show the user 104 what to expect upon arrival at their appointmentlocation, should they choose to book an appointment. The results pagemay include before-and-after pictures (or a rolling video ofbefore-and-after pictures) of previous users who have used aligners toreposition their teeth. The locations page includes locations associatedwith each of the respective intraoral scanning sites 102.

Referring now to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the user 104 may access thelocations page of the website. Specifically shown in FIG. 2 is areservation page 200 which may be a portion of the locations page or aportion of the home page.

In some embodiments, the computing system 102 may include a scheduler122. The scheduler can be or include instructions that, when executed bythe processor 108, cause the processor 108 to generate and/or manipulatepages and displays for scheduling an appointment at an intraoralscanning site 106. While shown as embodied on memory 110 of thecomputing device 102, in some implementations, the scheduler 122 may beseparate from the computing device 102. For instance, the scheduler 122may be located remotely from the computing device 102. In instances suchas these, the scheduler 122 may have a separate processor 108 and memory110 (a dedicated processor and memory, for example). A user 104 mayschedule an intraoral scan at a particular intraoral scanning site 106via the website. The website may be controlled by the processor 108using instructions from the scheduler 122. Following the intraoral scan,the user 104 may, in some instances, order aligners that are customizedfor the user 104. For instance, the user 104 may be satisfied with theoverall process at the intraoral scanning site 106 and results of otherusers 104. Therefore, the user 104 may purchase aligners for aligningthe user's 104 teeth. The aligners may be constructed of a polymermaterial, such as Polyethylenterephthalat-Glycol Copolyester (PET-G),which is thermoformed to positive molds (or models) of the user's 104dentition at various intervals between a starting position and an endingposition. The positive molds of the user's dentition 104 may begenerated based on the treatment plan. The aligners may be used by theuser 104 in stages to move the user's teeth towards the ending position.For example, the user 104 may be directed to wear a first aligner duringa first month, a second aligner during a second month, a third alignerduring a third month, and so on for a treatment period. These alignersmay be shipped to the user 104 following production of the aligners(e.g., at a fabrication site which generates or otherwise produces thealigners). In some instances, the aligners may be shipped in stages, allat once in one box, etc. Each of the aligners may be administered by theuser in a predetermined sequence and for a predetermined duration. Forinstance, a first aligner (which corresponds to a starting position ofthe user's teeth) may be administered by the user for a duration (e.g.,a month, 90 days, etc.), a second (and additional intermediate)aligner(s) may be administered by the user for the same duration, and afinal aligner may be administered for the same duration. Each of thesealigners may move the user's teeth from the starting position to one ormore intermediate positions, and from the one or more intermediatepositions to the final positions based on the treatment plan.

As shown in FIG. 2, the reservation page 200 includes locations 202,dates 204, and times 206. Included in the locations 202 is informationcorresponding to each of the intraoral scanning site(s) 106. While eachof the intraoral scanning site(s) 106 are shown as included, in someembodiments, only a subset of intraoral scanning site(s) 106 may beshown. For instance, the intraoral scanning site(s) 106 which arelocated nearest to the user 104 may be shown. As one example, theprocessor 108 may receive data from a communications device 114associated with the user 104 (e.g., the mobile device 114, personalcomputer 118, etc.). The data may include location-based data associatedwith the user 104. The processor 108 may use this data to select, fromeach of the intraoral scanning site(s) 106, a subset of intraoralscanning site(s) 106 to include in the locations 202. As anotherexample, the user 104 may be prompted to provide a zip code. Theprocessor 108 may use the zip code provided by the user 104 to determineintraoral scanning site(s) 106 that are located nearest to (or within)the zip code.

In some implementations, a user 104 may search for specific locations202 (instead of selecting ones that are nearest to the user's 104location). The user 104, for instance, may be traveling to a differentcity than their city of residence and may want to schedule anappointment at an intraoral scanning site 106 located in that differentcity. As a result, the user 104 is not limited to schedulingappointments at intraoral scanning sites 106 in their own city, but mayschedule appointments at any of the intraoral scanning sites 106. Inimplementations such as these, the user 104 may provide a zip code thatis different from their current zip code (e.g., the zip code associatedwith the city to which they are traveling).

In still other implementations, one or more of the intraoral scanningsites 106 may be a mobile intraoral scanning site 106. For instance, themobile intraoral scanning site 106 may be implemented in a vehicle(e.g., an automobile, a truck, a van, a bus, etc.), as part of a kiosk(e.g., located within another store or within a shopping mall), orcomprise a pop-up location in operation for only a limited time period(e.g., one day, one week, one month). The mobile intraoral scanning site106 may be included in the locations 202 on the reservations page 200.As will be described in further detail below, a user 104 may be able toarrange for the mobile intraoral scanning site 106 to travel to a setlocation (e.g., a location set by the user, such as their home or placeof business), and the user 104 may receive an intraoral scan at the setlocation.

Upon selecting a location 202 of an intraoral scanning site 106 from thelist of locations 202 of intraoral scanning sites 106, the user 104 mayselect an available date from the list of dates 204. Each intraoralscanning site 106 may maintain a schedule 124. The schedule 124 may bemaintained locally (e.g., at each respective intraoral scanning site106, etc.) and communicated to the computing system 102. The scheduler122 can include instructions to access the schedule 124 of the intraoralscanning site 106 selected by the user 104 and determine availabledays/times for an appointment for the user 105 based on the schedule 124for the intraoral scanning site. The scheduler 122 can includeinstructions to display available times and dates for the intraoralscanning site 106 based on the schedule 124 associated with theintraoral scanning site 106. Additionally or alternatively, the schedule124 may be a cloud-based schedule that is remotely accessible by theprocessor 108 and by the respective intraoral scanning site 106. Inimplementations such as these, the memory 110 may store intraoralscanning site data 126 corresponding to each respective intraoralscanning site 106. The intraoral scanning site data 126 may be stored ina database 128 within memory 110. The intraoral scanning site data 126may include a location 130 associated with the intraoral scanning site106 (or other information usable to identify a particular intraoralscanning site 106) and a corresponding schedule 132 for the intraoralscanning site 106. The scheduler 122 can include instructions todetermine the schedule for the selected location 202 of the intraoralscanning site 106 by cross-referencing data for the selected location202 with location 130 within the intraoral scanning site data 126.Following cross-referencing the data for the selected location 202, thescheduler 122 can include instructions to identify the schedule for thecorresponding selected location 202.

In each of these arrangements, the scheduler 122 can includeinstructions to identify available appointment times for the intraoralscanning site 106. These available appointment times may be presented tothe user 104 for selection and booking an appointment.

As shown in FIG. 2, the intraoral scanning site(s) 106 may have extendedhours (e.g., open nights, weekends, etc.). In implementations such asthese, the user 104 may be more likely to schedule an appointment whenthe hours are extended due to a lessened likelihood of a schedulingconflict between the user 104 and a given intraoral scanning site 106.

The processor 108 may access the schedule 124, 132 for the selectedlocation 202 to determine available dates via the instructions from thescheduler 122. The processor 108 may display the available dates in thelist of dates 204. Following a selection of an available date from thelist of dates 204, the times available for the selected date may bedisplayed to the user 104. The processor 108 may determine the availabletimes in the same manner in which the available dates are determined.The user may select an available time to book their scan from the listof available times 206.

While described herein as the user first selecting a location, in someembodiments, the user may first select a preferred date and/or time andavailable locations (and/or dates and locations) may then be displayedbased on the selected preferred date and/or time (and/or dates andlocations). In each of these implementations, the user 104 may reserve atime at a particular intraoral scanning site 106, and at the reservedtime, the user 104 may arrive at the particular intraoral scanning site106 and receive their intraoral scan, as will be discussed in furtherdetail below.

In some implementations, the user 104 may select the mobile intraoralscanning site 106. In implementations such as these, the processor 108may identify a schedule 124, 132 associated with the mobile intraoralscanning site 106 using instructions from the scheduler 122. The user104 may request a date 204 and time 206 that is available for the mobileintraoral scanning site 106. The user 104 may then provide a location toarrange the appointment with the mobile intraoral scanning site 106. Themobile intraoral scanning site 106 may have a predetermined radius(e.g., 10 miles, 20 miles, 25 miles, 50 miles, etc.) within which themobile intraoral scanning site 106 operates. The user 104 may provide alocation within the predetermined radius. At the reserved time, themobile intraoral scanning site 106 may be driven to the locationprovided by the user 104. The user 104 may similarly arrive at theprovided location at the reserved time and receive an intraoral scan, aswill be discussed in further detail below.

Referring now to FIG. 3, following the user 104 selecting an availabletime 206 (e.g., as shown in FIG. 2), the scheduler 122 can includeinstructions to direct the user 104 to a booking screen 300. At thebooking screen 300, the user 104 may be prompted to provide variouspersonal information 302 (e.g., first and last name, a phone number, ane-mail address, etc.). Additionally, the user 104 may be prompted to optinto (or not opt into) a messaging service by selecting box 304. Themessaging service may provide one or more messages to the user 104concerning the user's 104 booked appointment, as will be discussed infurther detail below. The personal information 302 and datacorresponding to whether the user 102 opted into the messaging servicemay be stored in database 128 in a user file 134. The user file 134 maybe a file associated with the user 104 and may include various types ofdata associated with the user 104. The user file 134 nay be subsequentlyused for generating messages to the user 104 before and/or after theuser's 104 appointment. The user file 134 may also include the intraoralscan, the treatment plan, progress information, photographs, etc.

As shown in FIG. 3, the appointment may be free to the user 104. In someimplementations, the appointment may have a flat fee (e.g., $25, $95,etc.). In still other implementations, the appointment may have abooking hold which is not charged to the user 104. Following the user104 providing their personal information, the user 104 may be promptedto book their scan by selecting button 306.

Referring now to FIG. 4, when the user 104 books their scan by selectingbutton 306 (of FIG. 3), the scheduler 122 can include instruction todirect the user 104 to a holding page 400. At the holding page 400, theuser 104 may be prompted to provide credit card information 402. Thecredit card information 402 may be requested to hold the available timeselected by the user 104 (e.g., as selected on reservations page 200).The credit card information 402 may be used to place a hold (forinstance, $25) on the user's 104 credit card. In some implementations,the hold may be a refundable hold (e.g., the credit card for the user104 is not billed or is refunded unless the user 104 does not show upfor their appointment at the selected time).

In some implementations, the hold may be optional. For instance, theuser 104 may be able to hold the reservation (through selection ofbutton 404) or opt out of holding the reservation (through selection ofbutton 406). The user 104 may provide their credit card information 402and select button 404. In selecting prompt 404, confirmation window 500may be displayed to the user 104 (e.g., indicating that the user's 104reservation has been confirmed). Additionally, the user 104 may notprovide their credit card information 402, and instead, opt out byselecting button 406. In some implementations, selecting button 406 maydirect the user 104 back to the reservations page 200. In otherimplementations, selecting button 406 may cause confirmation window 502to be displayed to the user 104 (e.g., indicating that the user's 104reservation is still confirmed despite the user 104 not providing creditcard information 402). By providing credit card information 402, theuser 104 may be more likely to show up for their appointment, despitetheir credit card never being charged.

In one or more embodiments, following the user 104 reserving (andoptionally holding) their appointment, the user 104 may want toreschedule their appointment. To do so, the user 104 may call theintraoral scanning site 106 to reschedule their appointment.Additionally, the user 104 may go onto the website associated with theappointment management system 100, provide log-in information or otheridentifying information to look-up their appointment and access, forinstance, a user portal (as will be discussed in greater detail below).The user portal may include various appointment-related informationincluding the time, date, and location for their appointment. Followingthe user's appointment, the user portal may include various treatmentplan information (such as a virtual representation of the user's 104treatment plan at different stages or a simulated representation of theuser's 104 teeth through progression of the treatment plan), progressinformation provided by the user 104, etc., as will be discussed ingreater detail below. The user 104 may select their appointment andreschedule their appointment in substantially the same manner by whichthe user 104 booked their appointment (e.g., by following theprogression from FIG. 2 through FIG. 4).

Pre-Appointment Messaging Services

Referring back to FIG. 1, when the user 104 opts into the messagingservice (through selection of box 304 of FIG. 3), one or more messagesmay be automatically generated and communicated to the user 104 (e.g.,via respective communications device(s) 114). For instance, thecomputing system 102 may include a message generator 136. The messagegenerator 136 can be or include instructions that, when executed byprocessor 108, cause the processor 108 to generate a message tocommunicate to the user 104. The message generator 136 can includeinstructions to transmit the generated message to the user 104 via, forinstance, the communications device 114 of the computing system 102 tothe communications device 114 of the user's 104 mobile device 116 and/orpersonal computer 118. The message generator 136 can includeinstructions to identify a communications device 114 associated with theuser 104 (e.g., by identifying the user file 134 associated with theuser 104). The message generator 136 can include instructions tocommunicate the generated message to the user 104 upon one or moreconditions, as will be discussed in further detail below. Accordingly,the various messages described herein may be communicated to the user's104 mobile device 116 and/or the user's 104 personal computer 118.Various examples of messages will be discussed in turn below.

In some implementations, one or more messages that are generated via themessage generator 136 may be communicated to a notification center 138.The notification center 138 may be, for instance, a call center. Themessages that are communicated to the notification center 138 may beinstructions to call a particular user 104 at a particular time todeliver a verbal message, as will be discussed in further detail below.

In some embodiments, the message generator 136 can include instructionsfor generating an appointment confirmation message. The messagegenerator 136 can include instructions to determine when a user 104 hassuccessfully reserved an appointment. The message generator 136 caninclude instructions to automatically communicate (e.g., via respectivecommunications devices 114) the appointment confirmation message inresponse to the user 104 successfully reserving the appointment. Theappointment confirmation message may be or include a message thatindicates that the user's 104 appointment has successfully beenreserved. In some implementations, the appointment confirmation messagemay include a link, which the user 104 may select, that causes theappointment to be automatically added to a calendar associated with theuser 104. For instance, the appointment confirmation message may includea plurality of links associated with different types of calendarsoftware. The user 104 may select the link corresponding to whichevertype of calendar that is used by the user 104. Upon selecting theappropriate link, the appointment may automatically be added to theuser's 104 calendar. The appointment added to the user's 104 calendarmay include contact information associated with the correspondingintraoral scanning site 106, a location associated with the intraoralscanning site 106, time, and an expected duration of the appointment(e.g., 30 minutes).

In some embodiments, the message generator 136 can include instructionsfor generating one or more appointment reminder messages. The messagegenerator 136 can include instructions to determine a current time andan appointment time (e.g., the time of the user's 104 appointment at theintraoral scanning site 106). The message generator 136 can includeinstructions to compare a time difference between the current time andappointment time to a threshold time. If the difference in time is lessthan (or equal to) the threshold time, the message generator can includeinstructions to automatically generate the appointment reminder message.

In some implementations, the threshold time may be set based on a numberof days (e.g., two days, three days, a week, etc.) until the user's 104appointment. In implementations such as these, the appointment remindermessage may be a message reminding the user 104 that they have anupcoming appointment. The appointment reminder message may be generatedwhen the user 104 books an appointment well in advanced. Accordingly,where the user 104 books an appointment for a number of days in advancedthat is less than a threshold number of days (e.g., two days, threedays, a week, etc.), the appointment reminder message may not begenerated. As one non-limiting example, the user 104 may book anappointment on a Monday. Where the user 104 books the appointment forthe next Friday, the user 104 may be reminded of their appointmentthrough generation of an appointment reminder message on the upcomingWednesday. However, where the user 104 books the appointment for thenext day (e.g., Tuesday), the user 104 may not receive an appointmentreminder message. The appointment reminder message that is communicatedto the user 104 may include various information including, for instance,directions to the intraoral scanning site 106, a phone number for theintraoral scanning site 106, etc. Additionally, the appointment remindermessage may include various information pertaining to the user's 104appointment. For example, the appointment reminder message may include ahealth and consent questionnaire for the user 104 to fill out. In someimplementations, the health and consent questionnaire may have aplurality of Yes/No questions corresponding to various health-relatedconditions. The responses to the questions may be defaulted to “No”,whereby the user 104 may only need to change those answers to thequestions that do apply to the user 104. Referring briefly to FIG. 7,the user 104 may be shown several questions which are defaulted to “No”.The user 104, however, may have an impacted tooth and an indicator onthe health and consent questionnaire for an impacted tooth is defaultedto “No”. Accordingly, the user 104 may maintain all defaulted answersexcept for the question relating to impacted teeth, which the user 104may switch to answer “Yes.” Such arrangements may expedite the overallprocess for the user's 104 experience at the intraoral scanning site106. As another example, the appointment reminder may includebefore-and-after pictures for previous customers (e.g., similar to thosedescribed above with reference to the results page). Such arrangementsmay increase excitement and anticipation of the appointment for the user104.

In some implementations, the threshold time may be set based on alocation of the user 104 (e.g., as determined based on data provided bythe user's 104 mobile device 116 and/or personal computer 118) withrespect to the location of the intraoral scanning site 106. Inimplementations such as these, the appointment reminder message may be amessage reminding the user 104 to leave for their appointment. Thethreshold may be determined based on factors in addition to the locationof the user 104 including, for instance, a distance between therespective locations, traffic between the respective locations, weather,time of day, day of the week, etc. The appointment reminder message thatis communicated to the user 104 may include various informationincluding, for instance, directions to the intraoral scanning site 106,a phone number for the intraoral scanning site 106, etc.

In some implementations, the message generator 136 may includeinstructions to generate multiple appointment reminder messages. Forinstance, the message generator 136 may generate a first appointmentreminder message to remind the user 104 that they have an upcomingappointment and a second appointment reminder message to indicate to theuser 104 that they should leave for their appointment (e.g., now, in 15minutes, in one hour, etc.).

In some embodiments, the message generator 136 can include instructionsto identify specific users 104 for voice messages. For instance, wherethe user 104 does not provide credit card information 402 (thus optingout of reserving the appointment), such information may be stored in theuser file 134. Where the user 104 does not provide credit cardinformation 402, the message generator 136 can include instructions togenerate a prompt for a voice message to communicate to the notificationcenter 138. The prompt may instruct a person at the notification centerto initiate a telephone call with the user 104, in which the user 104will be informed about the overall process and experience at theintraoral scanning site 106, and the user 104 may provide one or moreconcerns regarding their smile. The call may be initiated by the personat the notification center a certain number of days prior to the user's104 appointment (e.g., three days, five days, etc.). The person mayannotate (or record) the conversation, and portions thereof may be savedto the user file 134. In embodiments such as these, the voice messagemay increase user 104 excitement for the appointment and increase thelikelihood that the user 104 shows up for their scheduled appointment.

Appointment Management at an Intraoral Scanning Site

Referring now to FIG. 1 and FIG. 6, upon arrival at the intraoralscanning site 106, the user 104 may be presented with a user device 600.The user device 600 may be a tablet, for instance. The user 104 may berequested to provide personal information 602 (e.g., similar to thepersonal information 202) for accessing the user file 134. The processor108 may retrieve the user file 134 associated with the user 104 andcheck the user 104 into their appointment. Where the user 104 does notshow up within a predetermined timeframe (e.g., at the start time oftheir appointment, within five minutes after the start time, 10 minutesafter their start time, etc.) the processor 108 may automaticallyindicate the user 104 did not show up for their scheduled appointment.The processor 108 may compare a time difference between the current timeand the appointment start time to a predetermined timeframe. If the timedifference exceeds the predetermined timeframe, the processor 108 mayautomatically indicate the user 104 did not show up for their scheduledappointment in the user file 134. Additionally or alternatively, areceptionist may indicate that the user 104 did not show up for theirappointment in the user file 134. In some embodiments, the messagegenerator 136 can include instructions for automatically generating amessage to send to the user when the user is late for their appointmentbeyond a predetermined time frame (for instance, five minutes late). Themessage may ask the user to respond with whether they still plan onhaving an intraoral scan conducted, indicate that they do not need anappointment to receive their scan, prompt them to reschedule, etc.

In some instances, the intraoral scanning site 106 may include a screen(e.g., of a television or other display system) that displaysbefore-and-after pictures of customers who previously used aligners. Thebefore-and-after pictures may be similar to those described above withreference to the results page. The before-and-after pictures may bedisplayed on a rolling basis. In instances such as these, consumerconfidence may be increased by observing historical results.

Referring now to FIG. 1 and FIG. 7, the user file 134 may include thehealth and consent questionnaire. Where the health and consentquestionnaire was previously filled out by the user 104 (e.g., as it wasreceived in an appointment reminder message), the health and consentquestionnaire may be saved to the user file 134. However, where thehealth and consent questionnaire was not previously filled out by theuser 104 (e.g., the user 104 never filled the questionnaire out or thequestionnaire was never provided to the user 104), the user 104 may fillout the health and consent questionnaire via the user device 600. Insome embodiments, where the user 104 switches an answer, a comment boxis automatically generated and displayed to the user 104 prompting theuser 104 to provide further details. For instance, where the userindicates that they are experiencing pain in their teeth, a comment boxis automatically generated and displayed on the display of the userdevice 600. The user may provide an input, via the comment box, toelaborate on the pain in their teeth. While two examples of when thehealth and consent questionnaire are provided (e.g., following areservation and following an appointment check-in but prior to theintraoral scan), the health and consent questionnaire may be provided tothe user 104 to complete at any time throughout the scanning processafter they arrive at the scanning location, such as during a break inprocedures, following completion of the intraoral scan, etc.Accordingly, the present disclosure is not limited to any particulararrangement regarding when the health and consent questionnaire iscompleted by the user 104.

As shown in FIG. 7, the user device 600 may present the health andconsent questionnaire to the user 104. As discussed above, the healthand consent questionnaire may have a plurality of Yes/No questionscorresponding to various health-related conditions. In someimplementations, at least some of the questions for the health andconsent questionnaire may be defaulted to a set response. For instance,the health-related questions for the questionnaire may be defaulted to“NO”, whereas the consent-related questions for the questionnaire may bedefaulted to “YES”. In other instances, all of the questions may bedefaulted to “NO”. The user 104 can modify the responses to all thequestions as needed. For instance, the user 104 may have bridgework anda question inquiring about whether the user 104 has bridgework isdefaulted to “No”. Accordingly, the user 104 may maintain the defaultanswers to all the questions except for the question pertaining tobridgework. The user 104 may manually switch this answer to “Yes.” Ineach of these implementations, the user's 104 experience at theintraoral scanning site 106 may be improved by expediting the health andconsent questionnaire.

Following check-in and providing the responses to the health and consentquestionnaire, the user 104 may be directed to a room where the user 104will receive their intraoral scan. A technician at the scan shop 106 mayadminister the intraoral scan. The technician may administer theintraoral scan using, for instance, an iTero® scanner. As the technicianadministers the intraoral scan, the intraoral scanner may produce datawhich is visually represented on a display. The data may correspond to athree-dimensional scan of the user's 104 mouth. In some embodiments, thetechnician may administer the intraoral scan in a predeterminedposition. For instance, the technician may be instructed to administerthe intraoral scan from over the user's 104 shoulder with the display inthe field of view of the user 104. Accordingly, as the intraoral scannergenerates data that is visually represented on the display, both theuser 104 and technician may be able to observe the display. Sucharrangements and instructions may enhance the user's 104 experience byengaging the user 104 in the scanning process.

In some embodiments, the administration of the intraoral scan may berecorded for quality assurance purposes. For instance, the room in whichthe user 104 has the intraoral scan administered may have a camera. Theuser 104 may approve or deny the recording. In some instances, the user104 may be incentivized to approve the recording by, for instance, onefree set of aligners or one free set of retainers.

In some embodiments, the user 104 may be shown a simulated movement ofthe user's teeth from the starting position (e.g., as represented by thethree-dimensional scan) to a simulated final position. Such capabilitiespresently exist through use of the iTero® scanner.

Following administration of the intraoral scan, in some embodiments, aquality control technician may review and approve the intraoral scan.The quality control technician may be located at the intraoral scanningsite 106. Additionally or alternatively, the quality control technicianmay be located remotely. The quality control technician may be a manageror other guide who has the authority to approve (or not approve) theintraoral scan. Where the quality control technician does not approve ofthe intraoral scan, the quality control technician may highlightparticular areas on the intraoral scan that need to be re-scanned. Thequality control technician may also approve some or all of theinformation provided by the user 104 (e.g., the personal information202, the health and consent information provided in the health andconsent questionnaire, various other information such as shippinginformation, etc.). In implementations such as these, the qualitycontrol technician may ensure that subsequent visits to the intraoralscanning site 106 or unnecessary calls to the user 104 are avoided bycollecting all necessary information during a single appointment of theuser 104.

In some embodiments, following administration of the intraoral scan, thetechnician may take one or more photographs of the user's 104 mouth. Thetechnician may take the photographs of the user's 104 upper and lowerjaw (in some instances with a smile spreader). The technician may take ahead-on photograph of the user's 104 smile. The technician may take theone or more photographs using a digital camera. Additionally oralternatively, the technician may take the one or more photographs usinga camera of the user device 600. In each of these implementations, thephotographs may be an initial set of photos that is used for compliancechecks. The photographs may be saved to the user file 134.

Once the quality control technician approves of the intraoral scan (andphotographing), the user 104 may leave the room where the user 104received their intraoral scan. The user may go to, for instance, awaiting area or front desk area. At the front desk area, the user 104may be shown or given various products. For instance, the user 104 maybe shown what the aligners generally look like (e.g., substantiallytransparent, translucent, etc.). The user 104 may also be shown thepackaging in which the aligners are delivered and the correspondinginstruction manual. The user 104 may be provided with variousdental-related items. For instance, the user 104 may be provided withlip balm, teeth whitening kits, a tote bag, etc. Each of these examplesmay further increase the likelihood of the user 104 purchasing alignersthat are custom to the user's 104 teeth. In some embodiments, instead ofreceiving products at a front desk area, the user 104 may be shown orgiven various products in the room where they received the intraoralscan. In some embodiments, the user 104 may be shown thealigners/packaging prior to receiving the intraoral scan (e.g., atcheck-in), during a break, etc.

In some embodiments, the user 104 may be presented with a fast trackoption for generating a set of aligners from the intraoral scan. Thefast track option may be a form that is filled out by the user 104, maybe an oral agreement from the user, etc. The fast track option mayauthorize a provider of the aligners to automatically generate thealigners once the treatment plan (or the final teeth position) for theuser 104 is approved by a doctor (e.g., a dentist, an orthodontist,etc.).

The user 104 may be prompted to pay at the time of the intraoral scan(or set up a payment plan at the time of the intraoral scan). Once theuser 104 pays (or sets up the payment plan), the user 104 may authorizefast tracking the generation of the aligners. In implementations such asthese, the user 104 may not be required to authorize the treatment plan.Rather, the treatment plan may be shown in the user portal, as will bediscussed in greater detail below. Additionally, once the treatment planis approved by the doctor, the treatment plan may be automatically usedfor generating the aligners and automatically uploaded to the userportal.

In some embodiments, the doctor (e.g., the dentist, orthodontist, etc.)may approve of the treatment plan following the doctor seeing the uservia a video conference or a video of the user. For instance, the doctormay “see” the user remotely prior to approving the treatment plan. Instill other embodiments, the doctor may approve of the treatment planwithout the video conference or the video of the user. In each of theseembodiments, the doctor may approve of the treatment plan for the userwithout having to physically see the user in person. Accordingly, theuser may not be inconvenienced with a trip to a doctor's office, whichmay also save time for the user.

Where the user 104 does not authorize fast tracking the generation ofthe aligners, the user 104 may authorize the treatment plan once thetreatment plan is sent to the user 104 via the user portal. Followingauthorization of the treatment plan, the aligners may be generated andsent to the user 104. Additionally, following authorization of thetreatment plan, the user 104 may then be prompted to pay for thealigners (or sign up for a payment plan).

In some embodiments, the treatment plan may be generated by a dentalprofessional using a computing system at a treatment plan site. Thetreatment plan site may be separate from the intraoral scan sites, thefabrication site, etc. In other embodiments, the treatment plan site maybe the same as the intraoral scan site and/or the fabrication site.Accordingly, two or more of these sites may be consolidated into onesite.

The treatment plan may be generated by manipulating individual teeth inthe three-dimensional representation of the user's mouth. For instance,the dental professional may manipulate one or more teeth of the user'smouth (as represented in the three-dimensional data) from a startingposition (at the time of the intraoral scan) to an ending position(following treatment). Following the teeth being moved to the endingposition, the treatment plan may automatically be generated (e.g., by acomputer or computing system) in accordance with a set of rules. The setof rules may include rules which constrict an amount of movement of asingle tooth between two sequential aligners (for instance, 3.00 mm).Following the treatment plan being generated, various models (e.g.,positive molds of the user's dentition) may be generated whichcorrespond to the position of the teeth at various intervals between thestarting and ending position. The aligners may then be generated bythermoforming a polymer material to each of the various models (with afirst aligner corresponding to the starting position of the user's teethin the user's dentition, the second [and subsequent] alignercorresponding to an intermediate position[s], and the final alignercorresponding to the final position of the user's teeth in the user'sdentition).

Following generation of the aligners, all aligners associated with thetreatment plan may be sent to the user 104. In some implementations, thealigners may be generated and sent to the user 104 in packaging similarto the packaging described in U.S. Patent Application Ser. No.62/522,847, filed on Jun. 21, 2017, titled “DENTAL IMPRESSION KITS ANDMETHODS THEREFOR,” U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/725,430, filed onOct. 5, 2017 and having the same title, and U.S. Patent Application Ser.No. 62/648,229, filed on Mar. 26, 2018 and having the same title, eachof which are incorporated by reference in their entirety as notedherein.

Post-Appointment

Following the user 104 having their intraoral scan administered at thescan shop 106, the user 104 may receive one or more messages generatedvia the message generator 136. Accordingly, in some embodiments, themessage generator 136 can include instructions for generating andcommunicating one or more messages to the user 104 following the user's104 appointment.

In some implementations, the message generator 136 can includeinstructions to generate a message including various surveys and/orquestionnaires. These surveys may be used for evaluating the user's 104experience at the intraoral scanning site 106. In some implementations,the surveys may solicit the user 104 for a review on a customer reviewwebsite such as Yelp®, Google®, etc. Additionally, where the user 104receives a whitening kit at their appointment, the message generated viathe message generator 136 may include whitening tips for the user 104.In each of these implementations, the messages generated via the messagegenerator 136 may be used as feedback for subsequent user'sappointments, and to enhance the experience for the user 104.

In some implementations, the message generator 136 can includeinstructions for generating various messages specifically when a user104 does not attend their appointment. For instance, when the user file134 indicates the user 104 did not show up for their appointment, themessage generator 136 can include instructions for automaticallygenerating a message including a survey for evaluating reasons why theuser 104 did not showed up for their appointment. The survey generatedin these implementations may solicit the user 104 to provide suggestionsof what the intraoral scanning site 106 (or website) could dodifferently. The survey generated in these implementations may alsosolicit the user 104 to provide information as to how the user 104 wouldlike to be contacted in the future (e.g., via phone call, text message,email, etc.). In some instances, the message generated via the messagegenerator 136 may include an indication to the user 104 that the user104 does not require an appointment for an intraoral scan and that theuser can show up at an intraoral scanning site 106 any time duringbusiness hours (e.g., that walk-ins are welcome). In each of theseimplementations, the messages are provided to the user 104 when themessages may increase the likelihood of the user 104 scheduling orotherwise visiting the intraoral scanning site 104, and may assist inimprovements to the overall experience for other users.

Additionally, where the user 104 misses their appointment, in someinstances, the user 104 may be provided a free at-home impression kit(similar to those described in U.S. Patent Application Ser. No.62/522,847 and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/725,430). The at-homeimpression kit may be sent to the user 104 via first class mail. Forinstance, when the user file 134 indicates the user 104 did not show upfor the appointment, the message generator 136 can include instructionsto automatically generate a message to the user 104 that indicates thatan at-home impression kit will be sent at no charge to the user 104.Additionally, the message generator 136 can include instructions togenerate a prompt that is transmitted to, for instance, a processing orshipping warehouse. The prompt may include an address or shipping labeland instructions to send an at-home impression kit to the user 104 atthe address.

User Portal

Referring now to FIG. 1 and FIG. 8, a user portal is generated for theuser 104. Specifically shown in FIG. 8 is an example user portal 800associated with the user 104. The example user portal 800 shown in FIG.8 is generated prior to the user's 104 appointment. The appointmentmanagement system 100 may include a portal manager 140. The portalmanager 140 may be or include instructions, that when executed by theprocessor 108, cause the processor 108 to generate/modify/change/manageone or more aspects of the user portal 800. As shown, the user portal800 may include a brief overview of what to expect at the user's 104appointment. The user portal 800 may include a button 802 to reschedulethe user's 104 appointment. The button 802 may direct the user 104 to apage similar to reservation page 200. Additionally, the user portal 800may include a button 804 to view a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) pageproviding answers to questions that the user 104 may have.

Referring now to FIG. 1 and FIG. 9, the portal manager 140 may includeinstructions to modify the user portal 800 following the user's 104appointment. For instance, as shown in FIG. 9, the user portal 800 isgenerated following the user's 104 appointment. The user portal 800shown in FIG. 9 may include a visual representation (shown as a video)of the user's 104 treatment plan. The visual representation may showchanges in the user's 104 smile as the user 104 progresses throughvarious stages of the treatment plan. The visual representation may be aseries of photos, a video, etc. The user 104 may be able to view thevisual representation through selection of a button 900 (e.g., playbutton).

Additionally, the user 104 may be required (or requested) to provideprogress information. As will be discussed in greater detail below, theprogress information provided by the user 104 may be used for evaluatingcompliance and issuing a mid-course correction.

The user 104 may select a button 902 for providing progress information.The user 104 may be required to provide progress information at variousstages along the treatment plan. For instance, the user 104 may berequired to provide progress information at the outset of the treatmentplan, as each aligner is used, following 90 days from the outset of thetreatment plan, and/or other stages in the treatment plan. In someimplementations, the appointment management system 100 may issuereminders to the user 104 for providing the progress information. Forinstance, the message generator 136 and/or portal manager 140 caninclude instructions to automatically generate one or more messages tocommunicate to the user 104 at various points throughout the treatmentplan. As one example, when the aligners are received by the user 104(e.g., as detected by a delivery notification), the deliverynotification may be indicated in the user file 134. When the user file134 indicates the delivery notification, the message generator 136and/or portal manager 140 can include instructions to automaticallygenerate one or more messages for the user 104 instructing the user 104to provide initial progress data. When uploaded, the portal manager 140can include instructions to store the initial progress data in the userfile 134 as a baseline. The message generator 136 and/or portal manager140 may include instructions to generate subsequent messages remindingthe user 104 to upload progress data at various stages of the treatmentplan, as described above. The message generator 136 and/or portalmanager 140 can include instructions to identify a send date upon whichthe message corresponding to the initial progress data was communicatedto the user 104. Additionally, the message generator 136 and/or portalmanager 140 can include instructions to identify a current date. Basedon a difference between the send date and the current date, theprocessor 108 may generate subsequent messages based on the instructionsfrom the message generator 136 (and/or portal manager 140). Similarly,the message generator 136 and/or portal manager 140 can includeinstructions to generate messages directing the user 104 to change whichaligners they are using (e.g., directing the user 104 to stop using afirst set of aligns and to instead use a second set of aligners,directing the user 104 to stop using a third set of aligners and insteaduse the second set of aligners, to stop using the aligners altogetherand to wait for new aligners to be sent to the user 104, etc.). Suchmessages may be generated similar to the messages for providing progressdata.

Referring now to FIG. 1 and FIG. 10, upon selection of button 902, theportal manager 140 can include instructions to direct the user 104 to aprogress tracker page 1000 within the user portal 800. Within theprogress tracker page 1000, the user 104 is prompted to indicate whichaligner the user 104 is currently using (e.g., through selection of acorresponding button 1002). Additionally, the user 104 is prompted toupload photos of the user's 104 smile. The user 104 may be instructed(e.g., either on the user portal 800, the progress tracker 1000, orseparate instruction manual) on how to capture photos. For instance, theuser 104 may be instructed to capture photos while using a smilespreader (e.g., a device positioned in the user's 104 mouth intended topush back the user's 104 lips and expose a greater area of the user's104 teeth). The user 104 may be instructed to position the smilespreader in the user's 104 mouth and capture images at various angles.The user 104 may be instructed to capture an image of the user's 104teeth head-on while biting down. The user 104 may be instructed tocapture an image of the user's 104 lower jaw while opening the user's104 mouth. The user 104 may be instructed to capture an image of theuser's 104 upper jaw while opening the user's 104 mouth. The user 104may be instructed to capture additional/alternative images of the user's104 teeth. Each of these images may be uploaded by the user 104 usingbutton 1004. Upon selection of button 1004, the user 104 may be promptedto search for and locate the image to upload. The image may be previewed(e.g., in display box 1006) once the user 104 locates the file. The user104 may then select an upload button 1008 to upload the images to theuser portal 800. When the images are uploaded, the portal manager 140can include instructions to automatically add these images to the userfile 134.

The user 104 may provide comments regarding the progress or fit of thealigners in comments box 1010. For instance, the user 104 may indicatethat the user 104 is not satisfied with the progress of realigning theuser's 104 teeth or how the user's 104 smile looks. As another example,the user 104 may indicate that the aligners do not fit or areuncomfortable. Each of these indications may indicate that the user 104may require a mid-course correction. As used herein, a mid-coursecorrection is defined as a new treatment plan developed for the user 104following an indication that the current treatment plan is no longerdesirable for the user 104. Accordingly, the user 104 receives a newintraoral scan, a new set of aligners, etc. In this regard, nocross-reference is made between the first treatment plan and the secondtreatment plan. However, in some implementations, the mid-coursecorrection comprises receipt of at least one new set of aligners, whichmay be created for the user 104 following new intraoral scan or newimpressions to be made of the user's 104 teeth. In some implementations,the mid-course correction may be free to the user 104. For instance, asdiscussed below, the mid-course correction may be free following acompliance check indicating that the user 104 is correctly following thetreatment plan.

The compliance check may be a review of the progress data provided bythe user (e.g., via progress tracker 1000). In some implementations,following the user 104 uploading any comments via comments box 1010, theportal manager 140 may include instructions to automatically flag theuser file 134 and communicate the file to a professional terminal 142.The professional terminal 142 may be a computer associated with one ormore professionals (e.g., doctors, dentists, orthodontists, etc.). Theprofessional terminal 142 may display the user file 134 including theimages uploaded by the user 104 and the current aligner which is beingused by the user 104. The user file 134 may be evaluated by theprofessionals to determine whether the user 104 is progressing accordingto the treatment plan, whether the user 104 is following the treatmentplan as instructed, etc. Where the user 104 is not following thetreatment plan as instructed, the user file 134 may be flagged as notbeing in compliance. Where the user 104 is following the treatment planbut is not progressing according to the treatment plan, portal manager140 may flag the user file 134 for a mid-course correction. Where theuser file 134 is flagged as not being in compliance, the user 104 may berequired to pay for the mid-course correction. However, where the user104 is following the treatment plan, the mid-course correction may beoffered to the user 104 for free.

In some implementations, when the user 104 is following the treatmentplan as instructed and progresses through the treatment plan, themessage generator 136 and/or portal manager 140 may include instructionsto automatically generate a message (and corresponding flag in the userfile 134) indicating that the user 104 is eligible for a free dentalcheck-up and cleaning at a dental clinic or associated dental office.

The construction and arrangement of the systems and methods as shown inthe various exemplary embodiments are illustrative only. Although only afew embodiments have been described in detail in this disclosure, manymodifications are possible (e.g., variations in sizes, dimensions,structures, shapes and proportions of the various elements, values ofparameters, mounting arrangements, use of materials, orientations,etc.). By way of example, the position of elements may be reversed orotherwise varied and the nature or number of discrete elements orpositions may be altered or varied. Accordingly, all such modificationsare intended to be included within the scope of the present disclosure.The order or sequence of any process or method steps may be varied orre-sequenced according to alternative embodiments. Other substitutions,modifications, changes, and omissions may be made in the design,operating conditions and arrangement of the exemplary embodimentswithout departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

The present disclosure contemplates methods, systems and programproducts on memory or other machine-readable media for accomplishingvarious operations. The embodiments of the present disclosure may beimplemented using existing computer processors, or by a special purposecomputer processor for an appropriate system, incorporated for this oranother purpose, or by a hardwired system. Embodiments within the scopeof the present disclosure include program products or memory comprisingmachine-readable media for carrying or having machine-executableinstructions or data structures stored thereon. Such machine-readablemedia may be any available media that may be accessed by a generalpurpose or special purpose computer or other machine with a processor.By way of example, such machine-readable media can comprise RAM, ROM,EPROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic diskstorage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium which canbe used to carry or store desired program code in the form ofmachine-executable instructions or data structures and which can beaccessed by a general purpose or special purpose computer or othermachine with a processor. Combinations of the above are also includedwithin the scope of machine-readable media. Machine-executableinstructions include, by way of example, instructions and data whichcause a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or specialpurpose processing machines to perform a certain function or group offunctions.

Although the figures may show a specific order of method steps, theorder of the steps may differ from what is depicted. Also, two or moresteps may be performed concurrently or with partial concurrence. Suchvariation will depend on the software and hardware systems chosen and ondesigner choice. All such variations are within the scope of thedisclosure. Likewise, software implementations could be accomplishedwith standard programming techniques with rule based logic and otherlogic to accomplish the various connection steps, processing steps,comparison steps and decision step.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: determining, by anappointment management system, a condition that a completed in-homedental impression kit has not been received from a user; generating andcommunicating, by the appointment management system, a message to theuser based on the condition, the message prompting the user to schedulean appointment at an intraoral scanning site; receiving, by theappointment management system, a request to schedule an appointment atthe intraoral scanning site, the intraoral scanning site having anintraoral scanner configured to conduct an intraoral scan of a mouth ofthe user; scheduling, by the appointment management system, theappointment based on the request; and conducting, using the intraoralscanner, the intraoral scan at the intraoral scanning site, theintraoral scan generating three-dimensional data of the mouth of theuser.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the condition is based on theuser not returning the completed in-home dental impression kit within apredetermined amount of time.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein notreceiving the completed in-home dental impression kit comprises thein-home dental impression kit not having been returned by the user. 4.The method of claim 1, wherein not receiving the completed in-homedental impression kit comprises receiving the in-home dental impressionkit wherein associated impressions are incomplete.
 5. The method ofclaim 4, further comprising determining, by the appointment managementsystem, the impressions are incomplete in the received in-home dentalimpression kit.
 6. The method of claim 4, further comprising,determining the impressions are incomplete in the received in-homedental impression kit by reviewing the impressions and determining theirsuitability for manufacturing dental aligners.
 7. The method of claim 4,further comprising, determining, using a scan of the impressions, thatthe impressions are incomplete in the received in-home dental impressionkit by reviewing the scan of the impressions and determining theirsuitability for manufacturing dental aligners.
 8. The method of claim 1,wherein determining the condition further comprises identifying, by theappointment management system a time between one of an order date or ashipment date of the dental impression kit to the user and a currentdate, and comparing the identified time to a threshold time indicativeof the user likely not returning impressions from the dental impressionkit.
 9. The method of claim 1, further comprising: generating, by atreatment plan computing system located at a treatment plan site, atreatment plan for the user based on the three-dimensional data of themouth of the user; receiving an approval of the treatment plan by adental or orthodontic professional, wherein the approval is receivedwithout the dental or orthodontic professional physically seeing theuser in person; and producing, at a fabrication site, a plurality ofaligners based on the treatment plan, the plurality of aligners specificto the user and being configured to reposition one or more teeth of theuser in accordance with the treatment plan.
 10. A method comprising:determining, by an appointment management system, a condition that acompleted in-home dental impression kit has not been received from auser within a predetermined time period; and generating andcommunicating, by the appointment management system, a message to theuser based on the condition, the message prompting the user to schedulean appointment at an intraoral scanning site.
 11. The method of claim10, further comprising: receiving, by the appointment management system,a request to schedule an appointment at the intraoral scanning site, theintraoral scanning site having an intraoral scanner configured toconduct an intraoral scan of a mouth of the user; scheduling, by theappointment management system, the appointment based on the request; andconducting, using the intraoral scanner, the intraoral scan at theintraoral scanning site during the scheduled appointment, the intraoralscan generating three-dimensional data of the mouth of the user.
 12. Themethod of claim 10, wherein the condition is based on the user notreturning a completed in-home dental impression kit within apredetermined amount of time.
 13. The method of claim 10, wherein notreceiving the completed in-home dental impression kit comprises thein-home dental impression kit not having been returned by the user. 14.The method of claim 10, wherein not receiving the completed in-homedental impression kit comprises receiving an in-home dental impressionkit wherein the impressions are incomplete.
 15. The method of claim 14,further comprising determining, by the appointment management system,the impressions are incomplete in the received in-home dental impressionkit.
 16. The method of claim 14, further comprising, determining theimpressions are incomplete in the received in-home dental impression kitby reviewing the impressions and determining their suitability formanufacturing dental aligners.
 17. The method of claim 14, furthercomprising, determining, using a scan of the impressions, that theimpressions are incomplete in the received in-home dental impression kitby reviewing the scan of the impressions and determining theirsuitability for manufacturing dental aligners.
 18. The method of claim10, wherein determining the condition further comprises identifying, bythe appointment management system a time between one of an order date ora shipment date of the dental impression kit to the user and a currentdate, and comparing the identified time to a threshold time indicativeof the user likely not returning impressions from the dental impressionkit.
 19. The method of claim 10, further comprising: conducting, usingthe intraoral scanner, the intraoral scan at the intraoral scanningsite, the intraoral scan generating three-dimensional data of the mouthof the user; and producing, at a fabrication site, a plurality ofaligners based on the three-dimensional data, the plurality of alignersspecific to the user and being configured to reposition one or moreteeth of the user.
 20. A system comprising: an intraoral scanning sitecomprising an intraoral scanner configured to conduct an intraoral scanof a mouth of a user; and an appointment management system configuredto: determine a condition that a completed in-home dental impression kithas not been received from the user; generate and communicate a messageto the user based on the condition, the message prompting the user toschedule an appointment at the intraoral scanning site; receive arequest to schedule an appointment at the intraoral scanning site; andschedule the appointment based on the request.